At Eternity's End
by The Clawed Butterfly
Summary: When the end of eternity comes, what becomes of Etro's Champion in Valhalla?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**: _No, I don't own Lightning nor Noctis though I wish I did! That way, I could marry them off and have them make many beautiful children! BUWAHAHAHAHA!_

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The scent of lilies was strong in the air. The sweet smell did not bother me as it usually did though. I was too distracted by the man who stood before me. Who was he?

He was handsome. His jet black locks caught the moon beams like the sea at midnight. His eyes bore the same dark colour as the night sky. His patrician nose spoke highly of his lineage. For the first time in my life, I could not help but stare.

He was gazing at the heavens. His reasons for doing so, I did not know. He appeared to be thinking about something. After a while, he lowered his eyes and rubbed his neck in what seemed to be utter embarrassment—an unexpected thing to be found in such a man. My curiosity increased.

I made a cautious step towards him. He must have heard me since he turned in my direction. Once he saw who I was, his mouth twitched into a shy smile before he nervously offered his hand. I don't know what compelled me, but I placed my palm on top of his upturned one. I felt his warmth transfer to me. Somehow, it was quite soothing.

His eyes darted away for a moment only for him to quickly look back as if he noticed his error. He squeezed my hand then grazed the back of his knuckles against my cheek. A strange emotion filled his eyes. I could see sadness and hope, but it was mixed with something I could not decipher. I opened my mouth to ask who he was.

Then, the clock struck twelve. Shadow hands ripped me away from his grasp. The loud knelling of a bell was all that I could hear as I reached out my fingers. The distance between us only grew.

My throat closed up. My thoughts were variations of "Wait! Stop!" The echo of a last knoll resounded in my ears as everything faded to black.

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_Sorry it was quite short but it is the prologue. I'll try to update as soon as I can._


	2. The Awakening

_**Author's Note**: Alright, time to get this party started. Here goes the first chapter! Lightis rocks!  
_

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_Noctis_.

Well-formed brows furrowed and a mouth twitched into a frown.

_Noctis_.

Silk cushions shifted and a large couch creaked.

_Noctis_.

Dark eyes opened from slumber and a male body sat up.

"...When did I fall asleep here?"

_Noctis_.

Booted feet padded along a carpeted floor and a hand opened a huge door.

*Silence*

The man walked further into the room which used to house the last crystal. The precious treasure of his kingdom, the object he was supposed to protect had been destroyed in the recent battle.

A dark figure stood where the last crystal used to be. Noctis did not think twice. He immediately brought out his weapons and attacked.

Right before the prince could land a single blow upon his opponent, a magic symbol appeared on the platform. Its light blinded Noctis and he felt his body crash towards the solid floor.

The heir slowly raised himself on his knees and elbows. He shook his head to remove the slight dizziness from the impact and caught a glance of the floor. It was not made of polished marble.

He abruptly stood up and looked around. He was no longer inside his castle. In fact, he had no idea where he was. It seemed that he was in some ruins. Noctis could not recall any such structure near where he lived, so how did he get there?

It was then that Noctis noticed a tall crystal object towering a few feet before him. It was different from the pillar that the Caelum dynasty used to protect. It looked like a statue. The prince could not shake off the feeling that he had seen it somewhere before. He walked towards the object and tried to recall where he may have encountered it in the past.

_Who are you?_

That single statement made him remember. He saw it before in a painting and in pictures in his books. It was the throne of the Goddess Etro. Was he really standing before the entity that always called out to him in the form of a floating light?

He reached out to touch the sculpture. Just as the tips of his fingers grazed upon it. A light flashed. Noctis looked up. The female figure that sat upon the throne fell towards him. His hands automatically rose to catch it.

Silky pink locks and soft skin grazed upon his cheek. Metal armour impacted upon his chest. He staggered from the weight before he managed to maintain his balance again. He gazed at the female figure that lay upon his arms. She . . . looked nothing like the Goddess Etro he learned about from his tutors.

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_Sorry it's quite short but I find that shorter chapters lead to faster updates._


	3. The Fated Meeting

**Author's Note**:_ Here is the third chapter or more like the second chapter if you don't count the prologue._

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Noctis knelt and carefully shifted the woman who once sat upon the throne of Etro. He was sure that when he first saw her, she was a crystal. But she was living and breathing now.

A second or two passed when the female opened her eyes. They were a fascinating colour of electric blue. Her gaze caught his.

"...Who are you?"

To say that Noctis was surprised would be an understatement. He was utterly shocked! Out from her lips came the voice that always called out to him. Was this really the goddess?

The woman moved away from him and stood up. The prince could do nothing but stare as she looked around. Her metal armour clinked together and the feather sash that hung from her hip was ruffled by the breeze.

"...Is this the end of eternity?"

Her voice shook Noctis out from his thoughts. He stood up and cleared his throat. This made the female look back at him.

"Are you...the Goddess Etro?"

The girl raised her eyebrow. Did this man not know that the Goddess was dead? Besides that, who was he? She felt as if she had seen him before but she could not remember where. He did not seem to be from her home town or from her home planet, for that matter. He did not seem to belong in the current world either.

The woman was sure that thinking hard would not answer her questions for now, and so she replied to him.

"My name...is Lightning."

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_Trying to decide where the setting should be for this story. Hmmm._


	4. The Next Step

**Author's Note**: _Hey, guys! Yes, I am very much alive to update this story. Sorry it took so long but here you go!_

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"My name . . . is Lightning."

Noctis gave a slight bow as was ingrained in him. "Noctis. You can call me Noct."

The pink-haired knight simply stared at him. A million questions lay behind her eyes and she seemed to be deciding which one she should ask first.

". . . Why are you here?"

"I would like to know that myself."

A period of silence followed before Lightning broke it again. "How did you get here?"

"I have no idea."

The female sighed as if the prince was testing her patience.

"Is there anything that you know at all?"

Noctis paused and pondered how much about him, his duty, and his world he should tell the woman before he decided to play it safe.

"I know that throne belongs to the Goddess Etro."

He nodded towards the throne that Lightning had been sitting on until a few minutes ago.

"What do you know about the Goddess?"

"She presides over the dead, among many other things. She resides in the Unseen Realm, if I am not mistaken."

"Besides that?"

"What do you mean 'besides that'?"

Lightning's brows furrowed. It seemed that the man had no idea that the Goddess was dead. Could he have come from an alternate future that she had managed to save? But how was she supposed to make that future come true?

Etro's champion could feel a headache coming. She had too many questions and the guy before her was incapable of answering all of them. Her instincts were all she had right now; she would have to follow them. At the moment, her intuition told her that the man could be trusted though she sensed that he was a bit dangerous.

"Where are you from, Noctis?"

The prince stiffened up at her question and his mind went on overdrive in trying to decide if he should answer truthfully or not. His thoughts were interrupted by Lightning.

"Are you from Pulse?"

Noctis' eyes widened at that. _How did she...?_

"Just answer the question." The woman was beginning to grow irritated.

"Yes, but-"

"What era?"

"2012 AF. Why-"

"Two thousand years, huh."

Noctis had no idea what was going on any more. Lightning seemed to know about his world. Did she know about him, the Caelum dynasty, and the Last Crystal as well? Before that, where were they anyway? Could they possibly be in some backwoods in Pulse? The area they were currently in did not seem to hint at that though.

"We need to get you back to where you came from."

First things first. Lightning needed to return Noctis back to his timeline. She had no idea how history would be affected if she allowed him to stay in Valhalla any longer. The problem was that the power she had at the moment would not be enough to transport the man to his time. It seemed that her body had not yet fully recovered from being in a crystal state for two thousand years.

"How would we do that?"

Lightning had no idea just how she would gather enough power to open a portal. She hoped the Goddess had left her something around Valhalla to use. Lightning might even be grateful for anything that the farseer spirits had lying around as long as it would help her on her mission. For the moment, all they could do was search.

"Let's scout the area and see what we can find."

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_I've decided to take things slow since I am nearing the climax of my ShikaIno story "Stars" and would like to spend more time on it. I do promise that when I do finish my SxI fic, I will work full-force on this one._

_Do leave a review to keep me inspired! Thanks! ;)_


	5. The Discovery

**Author's Note**: _Terribly sorry if I haven't been able to update this previously. Quite busy at work and all that. Do pardon any spelling or grammar mistakes. I wrote this in a hurry._

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Noctis had no idea how long they had been scouring the area for anything that could help them with their objective. It could have been hours—maybe even days. There was no setting sun nor rising moon. The skies remained in a constant state of cloudy. They could not refer to their bodies either since hunger eluded them. So, they decided to simply focus on the task at hand.

As they went along, Noctis asked Lightning questions to better understand the situation he was in. He learned about Etro's will to stop chaos from invading the living world, which was why Lightning ended up in the Unseen Realm. He in turn shared about his title as heir to the Caelum Dynasty and the power he received from the Crystal.

They guarded secrets though. Noctis did not tell her about the voice—her voice—which often called out to him from the light. At the same time, Lightning refused to speak about her past, especially concerning Serah. They decided that such information was not necessary for them to fulfil their goal of returning the prince to his time line.

It was some time later that they came upon a strange mound of dirt far from the ruins where they had met. They could have missed it had Noctis not bent down to dislodge a pebble that managed to sneak into his boot. The raised ground was shaped roughly like a rectangle, about the size of a book. They started to dig up whatever was under there.

With the dirt out of the way, they discovered what seemed to be a marble base with inscriptions in a language they could not understand. A circle shape was in the middle. Noctis grabbed hold of the two indentions on the object and pulled. The item popped off, revealing a hole. He tried reaching into the depression but his hand would not fit so he let Lightning do the honours.

Lightning reached into the tiny space but there was nothing inside. She removed her hand, took off her glove, and felt around the cavity again. There was a square button on the bottom so she gave it a push. It clicked into place.

_Nothing happened_.

Her furrowed eyebrows told Noctis that what they found was a dud. He stood up to stretch his legs and saw the pink-haired woman return the lid to the hole. She was twisting it back to the position they found it in when the earth beneath her collapsed.

Noctis managed to grab Lightning's hand as they fell into the dark depression. The prince called out to the knight to check if she was injured. He could not see a thing and he was afraid to bring out his power in case it triggered a trap or something. When the female did not respond to his inquiry, he grew worried.

Suddenly, he could see Lightning thanks to the gold glow that now covered her. She turned to face him and grabbed his waist. They stopped free-falling. Noctis could not describe what he felt. It was like he was floating among clouds. The zip and thrill that came with his teleportation powers could not compare to it.

The moment their feet touched the ground, crystal torches lit up. The light they illuminated was different from flames as they did not give off warmth. It made the area appear more ethereal.

Noctis and Lightning saw that they were in some old ruins. Marble columns reached out to the sky while stone floors led off into the darkness. In the middle of it all, there stood a pedestal which held a Historia Crux. The device seemed different to what Noel and Serah used though. It was more intricate in design and there were more buttons and what-not.

The knight moved closer and noticed a series of blinking lights on the object. They formed a circle around the face but the gems on one side were not alight. When Lightning touched the item, the jewels flashed and what seemed to the screen turned on. It showed Noctis being transported from his time line to the Unseen Realm.

Lightning deduced that it was that device that brought the prince to the timeless void. However, it seemed to be recharging from the last time that it was triggered. It was doing a good job of that unlike Lightning whose full power did not recover even one bit.

The pair decided to wait it out since they clearly had nothing else to do. Lightning made her way towards a marble column. She sat down and leaned back against it. Noctis, on the other hand, looked around for something that could make their wait more comfortable.

Taking a crystal torch with him, he ventured into the darkness. He quickly realised that all that surrounded them were tall walls so he went back to the lighted area where Lightning seemed to be dozing off. He walked towards the column nearest to his companion and made himself comfortable there.

Noctis jerked awake. He did not know when he had fallen asleep but then he was used to that. He looked around to see what roused him from his slumber and realised that he was the cold. He glanced at Lightning and saw that she had curled herself up into a ball. She was sure to be freezing with her metal armour and little clothing. He moved to lie behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm cold. You're cold. I'm sharing body heat."

A long silence followed before Lightning sat up and began removing her armour since the steel was biting into her skin. Noctis moved to a sitting position as well, facing away from the female lest he be labelled a peeping tom. When he heard her lying back down, he removed his zip-up shirt and draped it over her before she could argue with him.

With their backs against each other, the prince felt warmer and was slowly falling to sleep again. Right before he gave into the darkness though, he heard a low female voice whisper.

"...Thank you."

Noctis could not help but smile.

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_Do you think the story is going too fast? Should I slow it down? Let me know what you think through a review! Thanks!_


	6. The Lost

**Disclaimer**: insert witty copyright speech here

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Lucid dreams haunted Lightning. Of Serah waving at her as she walked down the long stretch of beach leading to their peanut-shaped home. Of Snow and the gang being as boisterous as ever as they prepared a huge family dinner dinner. Of Vanille laughing at Hope's blushing face while Fang looked on with a smirk. Of Sazh and Dajh building sand castles and playing tag. It was all so surreal.

She wanted to believe that it was real—that she really was home. Then, she felt the cold marble floor under her. A musky and somewhat spicy fragrance invaded her senses. Her breathed deeply. It was clearly a masculine scent but was not as overpowering (or annoying) as what the guys in the Guardian Corps and NORA liked to use. It simply smelled good.

Her dark pink lashes fluttered as she shifted from her uncomfortable position. A warm and welcome weight slid down her shoulder catching her gaze. It was a black zip-up shirt. When Lightning took a deep breath, she realised that the musky scent came from the garment. That triggered her memory of the day before (or was it merely hours?)

Sitting up, she found Noctis looming over the pedestal. He seemed to be in deep thought as he stared at the Historia Crux device. Light decided to give him some space and grabbed her metal boots which she has discarded earlier. The noise snapped Noctis out of his thoughts and turned to Etro's champion who had just finished putting on her footwear.

"Hey, I think you should take a look at this," he called out.

Lightning's left brow shot up and she made her way over to the prince. When she was close enough, she understood the reason for his contemplative expression earlier. None of the lights on the device were on. How strange. How...frustrating. They had expected for the HC to finish charging when they woke up and now it was dead. Hopefully, the problem would be fixable.

Light reached out to check the item but when her hand made contact, a loud screeching noise resounded as a bright light from the device flashed into their eyes. Both the prince and the knight fell to their knees. The ringing in their eardrums was painful and they could not see anything.

Gradually, they felt the solid ground beneath their feet crumbling. Before they knew it, they were floating along a wormhole. The Historia Crux worked! Weak from the barrage of sound and sight interference, they simply allowed their bodies to float wherever the path led.

It did not take long for them to reach a portal and Lightning warned Noctis to brace for an impact just in case. It had been sage advice. The exit to the wormhole was a slight distance from the ground but their reflexes ensured that they landed on their feet.

They found themselves in some sort of back alley. Rats were scurrying along the pipes while muddy water seeped into clogged drains. It was raining and the putrid smell of urine and garbage hung strong in the air. They moved to exit the lane before they suffocated from the lack of oxygen.

On what they believed to be the main street, the sight before them was hardly any better. Mud-caked cobblestones made up the road. Worn wooden signboards hung on rusty hinges. Rotting apple cores and other compost were found on corners of the street. Were they in some sort of slums?

When Light made to fully move out of the acrid smelling alley they were in, Noctis stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"I think it would be best if you zip that up," he said, referring to his shirt which hung loosely on the knight's shoulders and fell to the back of her thighs.

The prince was giving her a meaningful stare and she opened her mouth to give him a retort when she noticed a group of drunkards a few ways from where they stood.

As much as Lightning wanted to inform Noctis that she could fully defend herself, she knew it would be best to avoid any trouble when they had no idea where they were so she silently followed his order.

Noctis was sure that the slums in his kingdom were not this pitiful, especially with the government's efforts to help the poverty-stricken as much as they could. He said so to Lightning. So, where in the universe were they if not in the Caelum Kingdom?

"It would be best if we were to seek shelter from this rain first," the knight suggested.

Noctis nodded his head and thought that would be the wisest move to make at the moment. Lightning had not been able to don her armour and was only wearing her black tight suit underneath his shirt. It did not exactly cover much of her body and the last thing they wanted was for Etro's champion to attract the attention of lecherous idiots.

The duo proceeded to walk a swift pace down the lane in the opposite direction of the group of drunkards. Thankfully, the boisterous males did not notice so the two were able to get away without much incident. Besides the intoxicated men, there were no people on the streets due to the rain and perhaps the time of day.

After a couple of turns, they finally spotted an inn. It was connected to a pub from which loud chatter, laughter, and drunken singing could be heard from outside. With gentlest of grazes on Lightning's back, Noctis directed her towards the entrance of the accommodation, sticking close to her side in case someone decided to exit the pub doors.

Upon reaching the warmth of the inn, the duo finally managed to breathe easy. They approached the counter where the innkeeper was dozing off on a rocking chair. With a couple of knocks on the wood, they managed to rouse the bearded manager from his slumber. They asked for rooms in which they could stay for the night.

The man looked at them oddly and said, "Well, I gotta know if y'all be able to pay for it first."

Reaching into his pocket, Noctis pulled out his wallet and took out a couple of bills. At this the innkeeper's brows furrowed.

"What're you trying to pull? Payin' me with paper? Are you kiddin' me?"

Noctis and Light exchanged looks. It seemed that the establishment did not accept bank notes. Just where in the world were they?

Seeing as there was no other choice, the prince removed the band on his pinky finger. It was made of silver and had a lapis lazuli embedded in it.

"I believe this should be enough for your services?"

The manager scratched his chin and said, "Well, yeah, it'll be worth a couple of nights an' all but we don't accept payment in kind 'ere."

"Then, what-"

"Alrighty. How about this: I'll let y'all stay but ya better make sure that you get that ring exchanged for money over at Janey's tomorrow. Got it?"

"Thank you."

"Oh and we only got one room available with the rain an' all. That alright with ya?"

Noctis made to ask Lightning but she beat him to it.

"We'll be taking the room."

The innkeeper shouted for some person named Rina. The door connecting to the pub swung open to reveal a teenager who was hastily wiping her hands on her stained apron. The bearded man asked the girl to take Noctis and Light to their lodging for the night.

The room was not anything much. It was not spacious and neither was it well decorated. There was a small hearth where Rina made a fire to keep them warm. A medium-sized bed was tucked away in a corner next to a writing desk with a chair. A worn rug took up the centre of the room and was the only decoration besides the pot of fern sitting on the window sill.

"Is there anythin' you'd like me to get ya? We can serve your supper here an' all," asked Rina.

"A meal would be nice. Thank you. And maybe a spare cot, if you have any?" Noctis answered with a smile.

"I'll see what I can do for ya." At that, the girl left and gave the two some space to wonder just where the Historia Crux took them and what they should do next.

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_A lot of people have been wondering where I've been and all that. Well, I've been busy with work. Then, I went on a short vacation to a nice tropical island where I managed to leave my muse behind. That is why I am waaay behind on my stories. Ugh. For those who are following my ShikaIno stories, sorry if there aren't any updates yet. I'm planning to finish the next chapter for Stars soon if only my muse would cooperate. Reviews would help though so I'd have some direction and what-not. :D_


	7. The Wounded Knight

**Author's Note**: I know, I know, it's been forever. Soooooooooooooorryyyyyyyyyyy 

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Dappled shadows danced on the ground as two figures made their way toward the town square. Noctis stifled a yawn with the palm of his hand and recalled what happened the night before.

_The girl named Rina had returned to their room carrying a tray of mutton stew, bread, and sliced apples. The food brought was not much dinner but it was definitely better than nothing. Thankfully, it tasted good so it wasn't hard to swallow. After they had supper, they asked Rina just where they were._

"_Why, yer in the town of Brighton. Why ye be askin'?"_

_Noctis and Lightning had exchanged looks hoping the name sounded familiar to the other. However, both their expressions were blank. They knew what they had to ask the girl next._

"_And what world are we in?"_

_Rina looked at them as if they suggested that her hair could be used as currency. Nevertheless, she answered their question._

"_This is the world of Tero Erde."_

_Both Noctis and Lightning grew silent for a moment before Noctis thanked Rina and dismissed her._

_The moment the girl shut the door behind her, the pink-haired knight stated, "It seems that we have found ourselves far from both our homes. Unless I'm mistaken in assuming that you are not from this world either?"_

"_No. You're correct in your assumption. This is the first time I've heard of Tero Erde."_

"_Then it seems we have no choice but to gather information about this place. If we could learn about the gates here, we might just be able to return to Valhalla and start over."_

"_All right. Maybe they have a public library that we could visit tomorrow. Hopefully, the sun will shine by morning. It's a pain to walk in heavy rain."_

_Lightning merely nodded and seemed to lose herself in thought._

_After a while, a knock sounded on the door. It was Rina offering them an extra blanket for them to use. Noctis took the sheet and the chair from the writing table and proceeded to make himself comfortable. When he saw Lightning eyeing him questioningly, he shrugged and said that she could have the bed to herself._

_The knight made to argue with the prince. But when she opened her mouth, she saw that the man had begun to doze off already. So, she decided to enjoy the comfort of the bed and slept._

This morning, the duo had decided to head to the town square and have their stuff exchanged for money. They figured it would be hard to move without cash to spend. Janey's, the establishment previously mentioned by the innkeeper, had been easy to spot. It had a huge wooden sign above the door.

After they pawned Noctis' ring for coin, they searched for a clothes shop. Besides the fact that Lightning only had a skin-tight suit, Noctis stood out with his apparel. With most of the locals wearing cotton tunics, he stuck out like a sore thumb with his leather outfit.

It was near lunch time when the two were finally able to exit the store. Lightning was wearing a white tunic paired with black leggings and brown boots. On the other hand, Noctis was wearing a dark blue tunic with khaki pants and his boots. They still made heads turn but at least they mixed in the crowd better.

With the matter of apparel taken care of, they asked for directions to a library. It was good fortune that the town had one and it was nearby too. Just a block or two from the inn they were staying in. Pretty much in walking distance.

Just as they turned the corner of the street leading to the library, they heard clanging and a loud roar. There, in the middle of the street, a group of men were struggling to contain a large bull-like monster in its cage. The beast continued to ram against the walls of its metal prison which was already bent in places.

Most of the cage's hinges were already broken and the men were using ropes to keep the four walls together. It was only a matter of seconds before the monster broke free. The people on the street immediately dispersed except for Noctis and Lightning. Most of the men had brought out their weapons which ranged from spears to rifles. The rest wielded ropes that they were likely going to use to wrangle the beast.

They were no match for the huge animal. So, the duo decided to provide their assistance. Noctis called out his swords and targeted the monster's legs while Lightning kept it distracted from attacking the men.

The animal tried to gore the knight with its horns but Lightning rolled, jumped, and slid out of the way. When she found herself below the beast's stomach, she made to slash its hind legs. As she twisted her body, she felt her leg make contact with its tail. A surge of something like electricity rushed into her body paralysing her for a few seconds.

During the moment she was unable to move, the huge animal stepped on her calf. A loud crack could be heard. Stifling a scream of pain, Lightning pierced her sword into the beast's leg. She then rolled out of the way as the monster fell.

As the men rushed to tie up the beast, Noctis hurried to Lightning. He'd seen what happened and knew that she was in extreme pain. Her calf was horribly swollen though there were no open wounds. She seemed to be having a hard time to breathe.

Lightning felt a strong burning in her chest and her leg was numb. She had no idea what was going on with her body. Spots were beginning to dance before her eyes. The last thing that she saw before she blacked out was Noctis' worried face.

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_Poor, poor Lightning. My heart hurt as I wrote that but ah well it was for the story._


	8. The Caring Prince

**Author's Note**: _I've managed to write another chapter within a week. I hope you guys are happy cos I definitely am! Hopefully my muse will be cooperative and have me update this story quickly again._

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Noctis rolled his right shoulder while his left hand worked to stoke the fire in the hearth. It had been three days since Lightning lost consciousness from their fight with the bull-like beast. Noctis was thankful that she was all right now, although she was yet to wake up since.

He remembered how he had taken her into his arms and rushed to the inn where they were staying. The flustered innkeeper had immediately rushed to call for a doctor while Rina assisted in getting Lightning in bed. Noctis had let the girl tend to Lightning's clothes while he created a fire in the hearth.

It was a few minutes after they had Lightning settled that the doctor barged into the room followed by the innkeeper. The bespectacled man had then shooed them out so that he would be able to properly examine his patient. Noctis had paced the hallway until the physician came out to explain the situation.

It seemed Lightning had been poisoned. Apparently, the beast they fought could sting using his tail. The doctor said that the toxin was not to be taken lightly. That it could cause a fever high enough to be fatal when left unattended. Fortunately, the doctor specialised in toxicology and had an antidote on hand. While the medicine would not cure Lightning immediately, it could help break the fever in a couple of days.

And so Noctis was left with the task of attending to an ill knight for three full days when he had never taken care of someone before. It did not help that a storm raged the whole time that he was on nurse duty. It was rather difficult to keep a patient warm with the cold weather.

As Noctis contemplated everything that happened the past few days, a knock sounded on their door. He turned to address the visitor just as Rina peeked her head in with an anxious look on her face. Noctis asked her what was wrong.

"We be runnin' out of dry firewood. We didna expect the storm to last this long or the inn to have this many guests. I've set aside the last of the wood for ye since ye have a patient but I do not think it will be enough to last for the night."

With Noctis being the composed prince that he was, he simply took the bad news in stride and dismissed Rina. He will just have to figure out how he could help the feverish Lightning without a fire.

The firewood ran out just as Noctis was about to prepare for bed. The only light in the room came from the candle burning on the writing desk. He figured now was the best moment to implement his plan. It was nothing complicated, really, but he still had his doubts. Not only on whether it would work but also if certain sensibilities were going to be severely compromised.

Convincing himself that it was the best move at the moment, Noctis gently lifted the covers and joined Lightning in bed. She felt warm to the touch and seemed to be experiencing the chills. So, he gently pulled her into his embrace and hoped that her condition would not worsen during the night.

Noctis slept rather soundly that night. No dreams invaded his sleep and he was thankful for that. Even his waking was slow and relaxed. He just did not expect the sight that would greet him.

Lightning was lying on his chest with her hand resting by her mouth. Her eyes were open and looking at him. However, Noctis doubted that she was fully awake. She appeared to be in a drug-induced daze which was not surprising given the strength of the medicine that she had been fed with.

"How are you feeling?" Noctis asked on a whisper. The woman did not reply though. She simply looked at him with her blue eyes. So, Noctis touched the back of his hand to her forehead. She still felt warm but her temperature was definitely lower.

"You must be thirsty. I'll get you some water." Lightning still said nothing making Noctis feel like he was talking to himself.

The moment Noctis stepped out of the bed, he felt the chill in the air. This prompted him to briskly walk to the writing table where a pitcher was. After filling a glass with water, he then helped Lightning to sit up and drink.

She was shivering when he finished putting back the glass on the tray. Most likely she felt the chill more clearly than he, given her condition. Since no fire could be made on the hearth to warm the room up, Noctis climbed back into the bed.

He then gathered Lightning into his arms and rubbed circles on her back. It seemed to soothe her along with his whispered command, "Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

With that, the pink-haired knight closed her eyes and slept soundly on the chest of the kind prince.

* * *

_Whew~ What do you guys think about the development? :)_


	9. The Recovery

**Author's Note**: _All I can say is...SORRY! My muse left me! *sobs* But thanks to Burning Phoenix X-7 as she gave me a link to Lightning Returns, I felt inspired to write again._

* * *

Lightning's body felt heavy when she roused from her slumber. She wondered if she had been trampled by a herd of behemoth before she remembered fighting a bull-like monster. She brought a hand to her chest but it seemed the pain there was gone. However, as she moved to stretch her legs, she winced. Her left limb was definitely still recovering from being broken.

Gingerly, the knight placed her weight on her elbows and made to sit up. That was when she noticed she was not alone on the bed. Noctis was sleeping right beside her, his right arm slung over his eyes while the other rested on his stomach. From the looks of the blanket that lay over his and her lower bodies, he was not the type to toss around in his sleep.

Pushing thoughts of the slumbering prince aside, Lightning looked around the room. There was no fire in the hearth which explained why she felt a chill. When she noticed the pitcher of water on the writing desk, she tried to get off the bed. Her movement woke Noctis from his sleep. She watched his eyes move over the room before it landed on her.

"You're up." He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "How are you feeling?" He touched the back of his hand to her forehead. "Thank Etro. Your fever has broken." He covered his mouth with his hand and yawned. "Here, let me get you some water." He stood up and moved to the pitcher of water and got her a glass.

Lightning raised her brow at the way the prince was talking to himself. He was definitely speaking to her but it did not seem that he was expecting a reply.

"How long have I been out?" The knight took the glass that was offered to her and took a sip. "Hmm. About five days now." Noctis stared at her for about five seconds before moving to the door. He opened it and popped his head out. Light heard him call out to someone. Footsteps approached the room and he spoke to the person that came. When that was over, he returned to sit on the edge of the bed.

The knight gave him a questioning look. He understood. "You got stung by the beast we fought. The doctor said the poison was potentially lethal so he gave you a strong antidote. He said that it would help your fever to break in a few days—which it did. Your broken leg is going to take more time to heal though."

A knock resounded on their door and the prince gave permission to enter. It was Rina. She was carrying a tray that held a bowl of porridge, a plate of breakfast, and tea.

"I'm glad that yer finally up, Miss. We were worried about ya." She placed the food on the writing desk right by the pitcher of water. "Yer stomach might not be able to handle heavy stuff fer now so I made ya some porridge. Just a little somethin' to fill yer belly. I'm expecting that yer hungry after all that's happened. I hope ya feel better." With that, she nodded and left.

The girl was right about Lightning being hungry. The knight noticed that her tummy felt quite empty so she tried to stand and make her way to the table. Just as she managed to place her feet on the ground, she noticed that Noctis had managed to carefully moved the desk so that she would be able to eat from the bed. She gave him a look that told him that she can take care of herself. The prince merely shrugged and transferred to the chair which he had moved across from where Light sat.

They ate in silence for a while. Surprisingly, the porridge tasted good. Rina had added milk and a bit of sugar to taste so it was delightful to eat. On his plate, Noctis had fried eggs, bacon, and a side of mashed potatoes. The food looked delicious but the prince appeared to be distracted. Light let him be.

"...Since you are not going to be able to walk around for a while, I have decided." The knight raised her brow at the prince's sudden statement. "I'm going to visit the library and look for some books that could help us. If they'll allow me, I'll bring the materials here so we can study them together. Does that sound all right with you?"

"Considering my condition at the moment, I cannot really argue with your point." Lightning sipped her tea and continued eating. Noctis was silent for some time. "I'm thinking to head to the library after eating. I'm assuming you'll be all right by yourself." "Just who do you think you're talking to, Prince Noctis?" At that, the prince smirked.

* * *

_Not much action for the next few chapters as Lightning recovers but I am going to try and build their relationship a bit more._


	10. The Clue

_**Sorry it took a while. I hope I can make it up to you with this thousand-word chapter.**_

* * *

The day was bright and sunny. Children were playing in the streets as their parents kept a close eye on them. Merchants were loudly announcing great deals for their wares in the public market. Farmers were humming or whistling as they tended to their crops and livestock. It was truly a great day to be out and about.

Lightning couldn't afford to head outside the inn and bask in the sunshine though. She had hundreds of pages of ancient texts to go through. All so that she and Noctis would have some clue on how they could return from whence they came.

Talking about the prince, he was the one who was out enjoying the fresh air at the moment; buying supplies in the town shops. He had left the pink-haired knight to ponder over the meanings behind the ancient passages while he set out to gather items for the journey ahead. He and Lightning had agreed that preparing potions and other goods beforehand was crucial if they wanted to be able to leave at a moment's notice.

As he was exiting the local synthesis shop, he noticed a strange object hanging from a nail by the store's entrance. He asked about the item and learned that it was a necklace that a customer had dropped many years ago. The design on the piece of jewellery seemed quite familiar to Noctis but he was not sure where he had seen the engraving before.

Thinking that maybe it could help them figure out how to head back home, the prince asked the shopkeeper if he could buy the item. The smiling owner decided to give it to him free of charge because, as the shopkeeper explained, he thought Noctis was a fine-looking young man and believed that Noctis' wife would highly appreciate the gift.

Without bothering to correct the owner about his civil status, the prince said his thanks and headed back to the inn. There he found Lightning writing something on a piece of paper. The knight seemed to be very focused on her work as she only gave Noctis a short nod as he entered the room.

The Caelum heir put their supplies on one corner of the room and approached Etro's champion to check on her progress. She had made a lot of notes but Noctis was not sure that he understood any of the things she had written.

When he noticed that Lightning had slowed her pace, he cleared his throat to catch her attention. When the knight raised her questioning eyes to him, he gave a nervous smile and showed Lightning the necklace.

"I, uh, found this at the local synthesis shop. The engraving looks rather familiar but, for the life of me, I cannot remember where I've seen it. I thought that perhaps it could help point us in the right way."

Lightning stared at the necklace for a minute before replying with, "You are correct when you say the engraving is familiar. There was something similar on the Historia Crux we had used."

"That would mean that this necklace is somehow related to the Goddess Etro."

The knight reached out her open palm and the prince gladly handed over the item. The writing really was in Etro script and it stated "_Luce veritas revelatur_". Lightning was not sure what kind of truth was going to be revealed nor what kind of light was going to be used.

"I'm not entirely sure how this is helpful for our objective but I'll see if I can find anything about it in these ancient texts."

At that, Noctis nodded and picked up the nearest library book to help in the search.

* * *

"This is it!"

Lightning roused from her slumber on the bed and turned to Noctis who was furiously going through their notes at the writing desk.

"...What?"

Upon hearing her voice, the prince turned to her.

"Light! Light, look! I think I may have found a clue on how we can return to our timelines."

Rubbing her eyes, the knight stood from the bed and walked over to look over Noctis' shoulder.

"I was looking through our notes and noticed a pattern. If you look here, it says that there was a group who worshipped the goddess of death. And if you look here, you will see a reference to people who revered the mistress of the underworld. From the look of things, it would seem that these two groups are one and the same, don't you think?"

The prince turned to the knight to see if she understood. Lightning merely nodded at him to continue.

"I found in another book information about objects that bore engravings in Etro script. It says here that people kept these objects in their homes to show their faith. It would make sense to believe that the group I mentioned earlier were the ones who owned these items, right?"

"Uh-huh. Go on." Lightning carefully read all of the materials that Noctis kept on handing to her for her verification.

"Now, please turn to this, this, and this." The prince pointed at pictures from three different books.

"These are sketches of an unknown temple. It seems that scholars are unable to identify the language used on the wall inscriptions. But if you look closely, you'll find that the writings are similar to the one on the necklace. This means that this is a temple for worshipping Etro!"

"Where is this temple located?"

"Unfortunately, the archaeologist who had discovered the temple could not pinpoint the exact location. He had only stumbled open the place when he got lost in some forest in the North. When he had finally managed to escape the forest, he had fallen deathly ill. In his last days, he had shared his discovery and these sketches with select friends."

"Hmm."

"Oh, but if you read this text here, you will see a vague reference to a group that believed in an unseen realm. This group is likely still the worshippers of Etro. It is commonly believed that this group had once lived in a region called the La Tierra Santa."

"This means that we are off to this La Tierra Santa then." Light began packing their belongings and supplies in two bags.

"But we don't know the exact location-"

"Then we simply have to scour through the whole forest for the temple."

The prince nodded and began helping the knight with getting their things ready for their journey.

"Lest I forget, let me say this. You did well, prince."

Since Lightning immediately exited the room to request a bath tub, she was unable to see Noctis blush and stutter a thanks.

* * *

_**Noctis is so cute. Haha. I'm not entirely sure if I will include other Final Fantasy characters here but I'm keeping my mind open.**_


	11. The Journey

**_I've been feeling inspired to update this story but it means neglecting my other story, Stars. *sigh* Ah well. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story though its author is blargh._**

* * *

Three days had passed since Lightning and Noctis left Brighton. While their destination was several miles away, they were lucky enough to catch a ride with Rivaldi's caravan which was headed in the same direction.

They currently found themselves on the Elysi Plains which was renowned for its beautiful meadows of white and yellow lilies. The calming scent of the bright flowers wafted into the wagon where Light was cleaning the Blaze Edge she had specially ordered from Brighton's synthesis shop.

Though the smithy had been baffled with her custom request and had asked for an additional charge, Lightning was thankful that she had asked Noctis to visit the store since it was there that he had found the necklace.

Just as Etro's champion slipped the now clean weapon into its holster, the vehicle she was riding suddenly stopped. People could be heard talking outside and the pink-haired knight noticed that there were some voices that she did not recognise. Thinking that maybe they were being robbed, she opened the flap and was met with the prince's face.

"What is going on?"

"The group has decided to stop here for the night."

At that, Light gingerly got off the wagon. Her left leg had not yet fully healed and she did not want to give it any unnecessary strain. It was for that same reason she had decided to ride the wagon instead of travel by horseback like the Caelum heir.

Upon rounding the corner, Lightning and Noctis were met with the sight of Rivaldi's family chattering away with oddly dressed men and women.

"Who are these people?"

"They are travelling performers who are friends of the family."

As the duo approached the group, their travelling host proceeded to introduce them.

"Ah! These are our guests. This is Noctis and his wife, Lightning."

For a moment there, Light had been about to retort that she and the prince were not married when she noticed Aryanna, Rivaldi's mother, listening in on their conversation.

The knight then remembered what happened when she and Noctis had first approached the group to ask for a ride. The ageing woman had been hesitant as, according to her, La Tierra Santa was a holy place that only families or married couples were allowed to enter.

* * *

"_I thought La Tierra Santa was a place where we could worship the goddess of death?" Lightning had asked then._

"_That is correct. However, it is not a place that any worshipper can enter."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_La Tierra Santa is home to the priests and priestesses along with their families. At least it was before the whole cult disappeared."_

"_Disappeared?"_

"_Yes. When the daughter of one of the priests had returned from a journey to the South, all she found was an empty village. It was as if the people had magically vanished from the face of Tero Erde. Since only pure bloods were allowed to become holy leaders, the cult died out. The forest reclaimed the land and now no one can find the exact location of the sacred village. When people enter the area, they always get lost. Should they survive the ordeal, they are cursed to die within days."_

_Lightning and Noctis exchanged looks. __**Just like the archaeologist**__._

"_What is this thing about only married couples and families being allowed in the area?"_

"_Ah, yes. Well it seems that those who are related by blood or are connected by the holy union are safe from the illusions of the forest. My late husband and I discovered this when we managed to pass through the area with no trouble."_

"_Hmm."_

"_How is it that you know of all this when there is nothing about it in books?" Noctis asked._

"_It is quite simple. I am the surviving daughter."_

_To say that Noctis and Lightning were surprised would be an understatement. They did not expect to meet a worshipper of Etro so soon._

"_Now you should understand why I cannot allow you to travel to La Tierra Santa. It is far too dangerous. I would know."_

"_If we were to enter this holy union you spoke of, would we be able to find the sacred village with no problems?"_

_At that, the knight gave the prince a look that said 'What do you think you're doing!?'_

"_Yes. If you were to be joined in matrimony, you should be able to stay safe. And if I were to perform the rites for you, you would even be able to enter the temple."_

_Before Noctis could respond to Aryanna, Lightning excused themselves saying that they would like to speak privately for a moment._

"_Explain yourself, prince."_

"_Light, if you would recall, the books stated nothing about the village but it is most likely that it encloses the temple. Plus, all of the sketches of the shrine were from outside. That would mean the archaeologist was unable to enter it. We need to be able to get inside if we want to find a way back."_

"_You do understand that we need to get 'married' to get Aryanna's blessing."_

_Noctis blushed. "Yes, but it's not like we're getting married for real, right?"_

_The knight sighed then nodded._

* * *

That was how they ended up in their current situation. Lightning glared at Noctis as they sat by the fire and ate their supper. The prince on the other hand tried his best to avoid looking at the knight lest she be given an excuse to give him a beating.

"Ahh, so you are headed to La Tierra Santa?" the head of the performers suddenly asked.

"...That is correct."

"They say it is a good place to strengthen the relationship between spouses."

"I see."

The man nodded vigorously, "Yes, there is nothing like a long trek through a jungle to really connect with your sweetheart, if you know what I mean."

"...I shall be retiring for the night. Excuse me."

As Light stomped back to the wagon, Noctis made his excuses as well.

"Please excuse my wife. She is tired and her injury is getting to her."

"Oh! It is fine. Don't mind us. Please, go tend to her."

"Thank you."

* * *

When Noctis hopped on the back of the wagon, he found Lightning massaging her left leg.

"You really must learn to control your temper."

"Silence. It is your fault that we have ended up like this."

"If I'm not mistaken, you did agree to it."

"Whatever."

Etro's knight laid down and stared at the canvas roof.

"I'm sorry."

"...No. You are right. I did agree to this."

"From the way you're reacting, it is like you have never been in a relationship with a man before."

As Light kept silent, the heir suddenly understood.

"Oh! Oh... I'm sorry."

"...Sometimes, prince, I think you are too nosy for your own good."

Noctis blushed and tried to stammer a reply but Lightning beat him to it.

"I am going to sleep." A head of pink locks turned away from him.

After a few minutes of silence, the prince sighed and laid beside the knight as was their sleeping arrangement since their journey started.

* * *

_I'd love to know what you think about the little twist I added in there. Not exactly a romantic development but it does have its potential. :D_


	12. The Night Before

_**A/N: I had planned to post this the week after Chapter 11 when I realised that the original chapter I wrote sucked.**_

* * *

In the still night air...

A whisper.

"Light—"

"Shhh..."

A muffled groan could be heard, coupled with the sounds of shifting fabric. These were followed by a gasp and kissing noises.

Noctis was not sure how things led to this and he was more than flushed. However, he gladly took the back seat and allowed things to progress as Lightning wished them to.

"...Does that feel good?"

A low feminine laugh.

"Hmmn...! Uhnn—"

Lightning suddenly cleared her throat loudly.

What followed was a few moments of utter silence then the quick shifting of fabric and the scurrying of feet.

The Caelum prince snorted and turned to the woman lying beside him with a smirk on his face. "What a way to ruin their romantic mood."

Lightning huffed. "I had hoped that they would lower the lewd noises they were making but it seemed they had other plans which would have resulted in us staying up until the wee hours of the morning."

Noctis bit back the laugh that was building in chest and shifted to fully face his female companion. When he saw Etro's champion roll her eyes and make gagging movements, he burst out laughing.

* * *

The following morning, as Lightning and Noctis were helping their host in preparing for the day, they noticed that the leader of the travelling performers and his wife were acting really jumpy. Upon closer inspection, it was noticed that they had dark circles under their eyes and faces as red as cherry tomatoes. It didn't take much to figure out the reason behind their strange actions. They were likely the couple that Lightning unceremoniously disturbed in the middle of their passionate tryst.

The prince gave the knight a knowing smirk which was answered with the merest of shrugs. Noctis shook his head and continued loading items back into the wagon. In the back of his mind, the Caelum heir felt really nervous as later that night was when they would finally arrive in La Tierra Santa.

* * *

"Well, this is the place." Their host announced with a voice full of wonder.

"Thank you for everything, Rivaldi. We never could have arrived here without your help."

"Oh, it is nothing, Noctis. I just hope that we would be able to meet again soon. The children simply adore you and Lightning. I'm sure that you would both be marvellous once you have children of your own."

Noctis' smile froze in place while Lightning stiffened.

"Please just bear in mind the things that I have told you," Aryanna interjected at just the right time, bless her heart.

"We will, Aryanna. Thank you for your assistance." The knight gave the older woman a rare smile before turning to Rivaldi and the rest of his family.

"We shall be off then. I hope that Etro shall always keep you safe."

"Again, thank you. Farewell!"

Light and Noctis nodded to the group before they turned to become engulfed by the darkness of the forest.

* * *

_This is more of an interlude just so that I can get the story going. Please let me know what you think about the story so far. I'm always happy to receive comments or suggestions (but never flames)._


	13. The Forest

_**A/N: Because it's almost my birthday, I decided to do myself a favour and updated two of my stories in one week. (This one and Stars) And because this is the 13th chapter, I decided to make a not-so-big step in Light and Noct's romantic development. :)**_

* * *

Lightning had no idea how long they had been walking around the forest but there was one thing she was sure of: her left leg was hurting like hell. At first, the pain had been nothing but a dull throb but now it seemed to lash out at her whenever she took a step. She had thought about asking Noctis that they take a break but she thought better of it. They had wasted enough daylight in Brighton.

In an attempt to lessen the throbbing, Light slowed her pace to a slight limp so she lagged behind the prince by a few steps. She hoped that he wouldn't notice. Etro knows he would order her to rest for an hour or more if he did.

The knight had no idea that Noctis noticed the moment she fell behind. He gave her 5 minutes to ask for a break but when she didn't he turned to her and said that maybe they should stop for the night. At that, Light glared at him but he merely gave her a sheepish grin.

"I'm fine. I can still go on."

"It's not just about your injury, Light. We have been walking around for nearly a whole day yet we see no signs of the village. Perhaps we should take this time to think about which direction we should go."

The knight gave a long sigh before taking a seat on a huge rock. "Very well."

Digging through his satchel, Noctis found the two canteens he had brought along with him. He handed one to Light and drank from the other. He hoped they would find a stream along the way so they would be able to refill them.

Before he ended up lost in other thoughts, he brought up the matter of their current predicament.

"The forest is certainly bigger than I thought. I hoped that we would find at least a trail that we could follow but it seems that we are out of luck."

"While I did not expect us to find the village in just one day, I have to say that it is a waste of time to wander aimlessly. We must figure out where exactly we should go lest we end up stuck here forever."

"I don't understand. Aryanna said that we would have no trouble in finding the way now that we are bound in holy matrimony."

"I don't understand either. Maybe there is some other requirement that must be fulfilled."

"Yes, perhaps the forest knows which are authentic unions and which are not. But besides the exchange of vows, I can think of nothing else that could-"

In the middle of his sentence, Noctis' thoughts drifted to his conversation with the head of the travelling performers.

"_Yes, there is nothing like a long trek through a jungle to really connect with your sweetheart, if you know what I mean."_

This made the prince's cheeks darken with a deep blush. This did not go unnoticed by Lightning who smacked his arm.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!"

Mumbling an apology, Noctis turned away from the knight who was scowling at him.

"I refuse to continue off where your train of thought led you to. I'm sure there is some way besides _that_."

"...Maybe we should just let it rest for tonight. I'm sure we'll think of something in the morning."

* * *

Early the next morning, Lightning decided to scout the surrounding area for a clue or maybe just a stream while Noctis was still sound asleep. It was by chance that she found a bubbling brook at the bottom of a gradual incline.

Making her way to the body of water through the knee-high grasses, she did not notice the uneven ground. She landed on her left foot wrong causing a stab of pain to shoot through her leg. She lost her balance and fell to her knees. Thank Etro she did not end up rolling all the way to the brook.

"Light!"

The knight turned to where she came from and saw Noctis with a concerned look on his face. He must have seen her trip. When he teleported to her side, she beat him to all of his questions.

"It's nothing. Just lost my balance for a bit there."

Knowing that Lightning was likely going to hit him if he made a comment, he just silently offered a helping hand that the knight reluctantly took.

Suddenly, a fierce wind carrying a multitude of petals blew through the area. Cautious because they had not seen enough flowers to explain the barrage of scent and colour, they turned to where the wind had come from.

To say they were surprised would be an understatement. They were downright speechless. A path through the forest had appeared!

Remaining mindful of her injury, Lightning scrambled to her feet. However, when she and Noctis fully turned to the trail, it was gone.

Biting back curses, the knight made to investigate where they had seen the trail when the prince grabbed her shoulder.

"It might be a tra-"

Another gale came and the path reappeared. However, just like before, it disappeared when Lightning took a step forward. That didn't stop Noctis from checking where the trail had been with a growl though; thereby being a hypocrite to his protest earlier.

As the prince was busy investigating the foliage, Light was going through what had just happened. She went through every detail when something just clicked into place in her head. Without further ado, she approached Noctis from behind and unceremoniously grabbed his hand with a scowl.

"Hmm? What is-"

The wind came, as Light expected. Noctis' eyebrows shot up before he gave a sigh in realisation.

"It seems that we don't have much of a choice, do we, Lightning?"

The knight huffed, "It seems not."

* * *

_It's Etro that's screwing with them, I swear! *evil grin* What do you think about this latest chapter? Too mushy? The pace too fast? I have no idea what I'm writing anymore! (T_T)_


End file.
